How To Make Money From Blogging
Sunday, November 01, 2020This post is collaborative and contains affiliate links
Blogging is a great hobby, especially when you have a lot of things you want to share. It can even be a full-time job for some. There are many ways that you can make money off of your blog. Some are a lot more manageable than others. If you want to start earning money from your blog, these ideas would be a good place to start! Here are some of my favourite ways to make money from blogging, so you can monetise your content too! All of these ways are legit ways to earn from your blog, and many of them you don't need a huge readership for!
Blogging is a great hobby, especially when you have a lot of things you want to share. It can even be a full-time job for some. There are many ways that you can make money off of your blog. Some are a lot more manageable than others. If you want to start earning money from your blog, these ideas would be a good place to start! Here are some of my favourite ways to make money from blogging, so you can monetise your content too! All of these ways are legit ways to earn from your blog, and many of them you don't need a huge readership for!
Earning Money - What You Need To Know
Earning money from your blog is exciting. Your hard work is finally paying off, and you're making money doing something you love. However, there are some things you should consider before making money on your blog.
- Registering as self-employed - If you earn a one-off payment of £50 for doing a sponsored post, you don't need to register as self-employed. You have a £1000 hobby allowance, but if you go over that or make a regular blog income, you need to declare the money you earn to HMRC. For those in the States, your individual States will have their own rules and regulations about income.
- It's time-consuming - Only take on what you can manage. If you chose to do everything on this list, you could find it overwhelming! Pick the things you believe in and ones you can fit into your daily routine.
- Don't rush into making money - Nurture your blog and take time on it. When I first started, we were in a lockdown, and I was desperate to make some cash. Take time on your projects, and don't jump steps!
- Going self-employed - If you're ready to take on the next steps and go self-employed, there are many things to consider. Make sure you're earning a steady enough income from your blog that you can cover your bills. It's worth having money saved up in case your blog income decreases.
Sell A Product
There are lots of products you can sell from your blog or on sites like Gumroad. It is a great way to work with other bloggers, share your skills and make some money from things you enjoy creating. Ebooks are also a great thing to offer other bloggers to sell for a commission as it broadens your reach! Take your time on these products as they will represent your brand. You want to offer something new and different. If you can offer regular free updates, it may help to keep people coming back! Some of the most common products I have seen bloggers sell are:
- Planner pages
- Spreadsheets or similar tools
- Online magazines
- Workbooks
- Printable planner pages
- Pinterest templates
- eBooks
Advertisements
There are 3rd party sites like Adsense, Mediavine and Medianet that will pay you to have adverts on your website. The payout varies per website, but you can make around £100 extra a month! Each one has its own requirements based off page views, most of which start at around 25,000 monthly views. Don't let this put you off, as you can always create your own advertisement! Every month, I offer 5 bloggers an affordable advertising package that includes the promotion of their blog and social media accounts. This is a good way to make money on your blog as you can choose what you're willing to offer, and it allows you to meet some amazing bloggers too! I'd recommend creating a package unique to your blog as there are many other bloggers who also offer their own advertising.
I've noticed that the price is similar but what you receive in each package varies. If you've got a high DA score or traffic, you might consider raising your prices a little bit too. You an choose how you promote and run your advertising packages. Some people have a dedicated blog post to their advertisers, while others use social media and a side bar slot for theirs. Research into different options and what will work for your blog. You want to try and stand out!
Teach A Course
If you have a unique skill or niche, you could create a course for other bloggers to learn! There are lots of courses that you can teach, including Pinterest, affiliate marketing and making sales. Some of my favourite courses are:
Mastering Sales With Ell - If you want to make blogging a full-time job, this course teaches you how! Ell makes over $40,000 a year from blogging, so will teach you the ropes!
Pinterest With Ell - If you're looking to improve your Pinterest game and increase the traffic to your blog, this is the course for you. The course can be taken at your own pace, and goes through things step by step!
Some bloggers choose to run their courses one-on-one, but you could do a weekly group session or have pre-recorded videos that users can work through at their own pace. If you're looking to teach a course, you need to make sure you know what you're doing & how you want to teach it. There are lots of courses out there, so you want to make yours stand out from the crowd! There are lots of bloggers creating courses and eBooks that don't have breakthrough information in. Make sure you aren't copying and that you offer something new. The better your content, the more sales you'll make!
Affiliate Links
One of the easiest ways to make money off of your blog is by using affiliate links! All you have to do is insert a link into your blog, and for every sale you make, you will get a commission! Make sure you're not spamming your website with affiliate links as it can look unprofessional and deter readers. Only promote links you would use yourself, and products that you stand by. Your readers trust your judgement, and you don't want to mislead them!
Amazon Affiliates is a great site for beginners, especially when you have a niche such as lifestyle, beauty or technology. If you're creating gift guides or recommending products, see if you can insert a link! You may find that businesses you purchase from already have an affiliates scheme! To check, they might have a "refer a friend" scheme or "affiliates" tab at the bottom of their website. You can find all of my affiliate links on my courses & resources page!
Sponsored Posts
A lot of bloggers will use sponsored posts as a source of income. Businesses will pay bloggers to write a post and promote their business within it. Sponsored posts can make you a lot of money as they typically range from £20 up to £350! It varies depending on the size of your following and the brand you're working with. Make sure you're not underselling yourself, or you'll be out of pocket for your time. Sponsored posts should relate to your niche, don't accept them if they don't fit your blog or beliefs. Make sure you include "AD - Sponsored" at the top of your post. That is really important - and illegal if not!
If you're looking to work with brands, I have a few helpful posts for you!
Offer Valuable Services
If you're good at something specific, you can create a service as opposed to a course or eBook. The service could be content creation, consultations or creating useful things like media kits. There are lots of services you can offer other bloggers and charge a premium for it, especially if you have built up your brand. I have seen people offering to make resumes, coaching social media and doing blog audits! There are lots of different services you can offer. Use your personal skills to your advantage and offer something different from other bloggers. Make sure you have the knowledge and experience to back your service. There's no point creating something for the sake of it.
I offer a few services! I make media kits, have a small business package and create content for bloggers and businesses. If you'd like to find out more, please contact me!
I offer a few services! I make media kits, have a small business package and create content for bloggers and businesses. If you'd like to find out more, please contact me!
Teach A Class
If your blog is centred around something unique, you could teach a class about it! There are many classes you could do depending on your niche. Below is a list of classes I think you could run and the niche it would work best with. If you have any creative ideas, you could always give them a go! I've seen a range of different webinars that I hadn't even thought about.
- Yoga/wellness blogger - Guided meditation, yoga class, guided breathing, self-care session, working through anxiety class
- Fitness blogger - Workout classes online, yoga class, healthy meal cooking classes, online consultancy/workout planning
- Craft blogger - DIY class for each holiday/season
- Money blogger - Budgeting class, side hustle class, personal finance management, getting out of debt
- Travel blogger - Budget holiday planning
- Productivity blogger - Setting up Notion, how to plan your month, budgeting class, time management webinar, a talk on how you manage time
Product Reviews
When you're reviewing a gifted product, it may not be worth your time. Some brands will give you payment to test out products, and it is worth asking if they will. You may not receive a lot extra when you're being gifted products, but it is something extra for a post you were already writing. Don't push a brand to pay you as some brands can only work on a gifted basis due to budget. This is a good way of making some money for your blog, especially when the item isn't worth your time otherwise. It can be hard to come by collaborations like this, but there is no harm in asking!
There is nothing wrong with accepting gifted only collaborations. For bloggers, gifted posts are a great way to start. It also allows you to try out new things for free. It's a win-win, especially if you were looking to buy that product anyway! Make sure you're getting your worth when it comes to collaborations!
Things You Should Think About
Contractual Risk - What is contract risk management? Contracts define each party's rights, obligations and responsibilities while outlining potential sources of harm if managed incorrectly. It's key that you understand any contracts you're signing when working with companies or make sure you set out the right things when making your own contracts.
Focusing On Building An Online Presence - If you want to make money when blogging, you'll want to build up an online presence. Most brand relationships don't require you to have huge followings anymore. But you'll need to be established, reliable and have an engaged following.
Taxes - When you're making money online, you may need to think about tax. If you're unsure, it may be best to speak to a professional.
It Takes Time - You won't make money straight away. And if you do, it probably won't be enough to live on. Don't be put off if your blog or income doesn't skyrocket straight away. And not all income streams will work for everyone. Pick some that might work well for your niche, and go from there!
Those are some of the most common ways you can monetise your blog without doing too much work. Success takes time, so don't be disheartened if you don't make money instantly. Make sure you charge fairly for whatever you're selling. It can be easy to undercharge, especially for a sponsored post or service, so know your worth! What are your favourite ways to earn money from blogging? Let me know how you monetise your blog in the comments!
10 comments
Great ideas for starters! It can all feel a little overwhelming in the beginning, but these tips will definitely get you started!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this post! These are some great ways to monetise your blog. I have just started affiliate marketing and I am yet to make a sale but I hope too soon 😊 I finally took the plunge after reading an ebook about affiliate marketing from another blogger! Great read xx
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing more information about making money with blogging, Em!
ReplyDeleteI've been blogging for just under 2 months and have made some money with affiliate marketing already, and have just started using ads.
Finding new ways to add value to your audience is a fantastic idea! Your post has inspired me to add a few of my other skills to my services offered list - thanks so much! 😊
Bianca xx | missmonro.com
Thank you for sharing more information about making money with blogging, Em!
ReplyDeleteI've been blogging for just under 2 months and have made some money with affiliate marketing already, and have just started using ads.
Finding new ways to add value to your audience is a fantastic idea! Your post has inspired me to add a few of my other skills to my services offered list - thanks so much! ��
Bianca xx | www.missmonro.com
This is a really useful post, thank you so much for sharing! xx
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/
These are some great ways to make money from blogging! This post is so useful to any blogger wanting to earn a little money from their blog x
ReplyDeleteLucy | www.lucymary.co.uk
Thanks for sharing, these are great ideas to make money from your blog :)
ReplyDeleteNic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes
These are great suggestions! I think I'm at a point where I need to invest in myself a bit and purchase some e-books - and you've suggested some great ones! Thanks for a great post :)
ReplyDeleteEm x
www.emsworldblog.com
I love this post! I've been taking steps to make money from my blog, and I love these ideas :) I would love to try selling a product in the near future, and this post has given me a push to come up with a few ideas! Thanks for sharing x
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas. I picked up a few to consider as I grow my blog. I like the creativity in offering advertisements to other bloggers. For people that might not have a product or course to offer, that could be something to consider.
ReplyDelete~Cassie